Loved your post Martina!

Is this an American thing? A conservative thing? No this is a vigilante type thing, some people don't think anyone is punished good enough for whatever their crime and would like to have the title of the great equalizer . I'd say many of us (people in general) are guilty of something at some point in our lives that society deems unacceptable. I say let him without sin cast the first stone.

Yes, but is ALL dog behavior emulated from wolf infantile behaviors, or just the roots of dog behavior?

Oh, to remain somewhat on topic, I think Michael Vicks served his time. His crime also didn't exist in a vacuum, yet he became the poster boy for it. That seems unfair. He should continue his career. Obama's phone call was, to me, a leader reaching out and giving hope and support to someone who has paid his debt. Isn't that refreshing? I think much can be made of a phone call.

Maybe they don't want you to take them in ?

((one can only imagine a wolf bitch in heat and some male shi tzu doing the dog equivalent of "hey, what's your name. You got a friend? I could be your friend" to get the idea)

Liked your whole post Aj but pulled this little part off the bottom. While I did get tickled at the thought of this image....it brings to mind, the "bitch hitch" which people use to make a bitch stand for a dog. That way they can make her breed to whatever dog they want her to breed with and not harm either of them supposedly. The other thought that came to mind is horses. I've seen people dig holes for a mare to stand in so a shorter stud could reach her to breed. Yep crazy but true.

considering the crime? no. no. no

if he is a poster boy then its the repercussion of fame. If your in the public eye you should be even more accountable for your actions imo.

He was, time served.

As I understand it (and neither wolves or dogs are my speciality nor my special interest) ALL dog behavior can be observed in wolves. However, for dogs the behavior may be vestigial.

For example:

Tail position isn't vestigial and neither is gaze. Those are *really* communicating something. Shaking actually helps in thermoregulation.

Scent rolling and cache burying, on the other hand, are largely vestigial behaviors. Scent rolling is probably a way of camouflaging their own scent when hunting and cache burying is, of course, a way of storing up food for lean times. However, with modern dogs neither circumstance really obtains under normal (for domestic pet dogs) circumstances.

Here's the thing, at the outside domestication of wolves started around 30,000 years ago. We know that by 9,000 years ago (7000 BCE) dogs had been domesticated. Even if we accept the outer timeline, 30K years seems, to us, like FOREVER but in an evolutionary time frame that *just* happened.

Behaviorally modern Homo sapiens date to probably no earlier than 50 - 70K years ago and anatomically modern humans date to probably no earlier than 150,000 years ago. All modern Homo sapiens are descended from a population of no larger than about 10 - 15K breeding individuals living in Africa around 75,000 years ago. That 75K years has been enough time for us to evolve the different racial groups, some interesting mutations like red and blonde hair and blue and green eyes. The only other major adaptations that I can think of that have happened since then was lactose tolerance--which almost certainly cannot predate, by much, the invention of agriculture.

Our brains, however haven't changed very much in the last 25,000 years. If someone built a time machine, went back in time to 25K years ago and grabbed any dozen random infants and then came back to 2011 there is NOTHING that those children could not learn. Most likely, something very similar is operating with dogs. The thing is, we selected for immaturity (mature wolves being kind of dangerous), and friendliness to humans. But I doubt that your average dog brain is THAT different from the average wolf brain. They've had maybe 20 or 30K years with us, compared to the *millions* of years of evolution before they adopted us or we adopted them. Their brains are running an extraordinarily successful program and since almost NONE of the vestigial behaviors have any kind of costs in terms of reproductive fitness (the only currency evolution gives a damn about) I doubt that most of those wolf-like behaviors will disappear anytime soon.

Cheers
Aj

I guess I'm not seeing where you're getting this part June...

I don't think that income has anything to do with responsible pet ownership (other than the fact that vet bills can be expensive).

On the subject of dogs for protection...having grown up in a dangerous neighborhood, I also think that protection is a viable reason for having a dog. Certainly, anyone looking for a dog to provide protection isn't going to have a mini-doxie like we do. They're going to want something bigger, that will give an intruder pause. I don't have a problem with that either. For me, dogs can serve a number of purposes...and companionship is only one of those.

For me, there's a huge difference between an individual that chooses a doberman or a pit or a rottie and handles it intelligently, trains it, cares for it...and also expects it to provide protection....and the individual that gets that same breed and then goads and baits the dog into being actively aggressive at every opportunity because it feeds their ego or image or whatever.

I Agree Jo.
.
A trained fighter will tear off your face and organs and not stop until death. Vick and others trained killers. Huge difference in criminal behavior. I was attacked twice just standing around my house all because somehow one was loose... And I tell you folks, nothing short of a gun can stop them. Luckily, I was able to grab a 2x4 and a brick and that worked one time just enough to escape.

German Shepherds have the strongest bite pressure of all dogs. As Blush pointed out, pits are way down on the list.

I have broken up plenty o dog fights, with pits and shepards and danes and labs............don't let labs fool you folks........Labs are in dog fights far more than pits at my work.....rotties, dobies and danes fight the least. I will break up a dog fight regardless of the breeds involved. The worst bite I have had came from one of those drop kick ankle biters......a mixed breed wirey white/grey little shit.....laughin....that was trying to attack a new dog (a bichon) to the pack.....

It's not the dog that is dangerous....it's the idiot that owns the dog that is dangerous.

Vick is doing a lot of work in inner cities.....he is using his 'hero' status to work with those who participate in dog fighting. A little research will show that Vick does get it and he is working with folks who are in dog fighting. He is doing what he can to change inner city dog fighting culture. He is just not making the news for his work.

suebee..........what does Vick need to do to 'prove he gets it'?

As to Obama............what the hell was he thinking?????

Thought this was interesting... the link to the Humane Society's FAQ about their End Dogfighting program and Vick's involvement...

Hey Toughy, don't you think it's a little um, uncomfortable, that you use the phrase "drop kick dog" in a thread about animal abuse??

Thank you.

Cheers
Aj

[quote=suebee;255482]I don't know how a topic about animal abuse can turn into domestic abuse. They are two completely different agendas and can't be compared. Since the beginning of time human hold dominion and domesticated animals. Somewhere in that we should be held responsible and accountable for doing this. Laws can eventually be created and people become more conscious enough to take action. We all have our moral passions. Some more passionate about animal abuse then others.

The bottom line, for me is this..

should a public figure earning millions of dollars be publically forgiven by our President for animal abuse? My answer will always be no. We're not talking a few chained dogs or a dog that died in is care but premeditated cruelty. He knew damn well what he was doing. He had no compassion for all those animals whatsoever. It's clearly obvious and *that* is the reason he should not be forgiven. Regardless if he is a celebrity or not it should be an example and severely punished to make people think & prompt new laws not the continued banishment of a breed.

I lost my rottie just a few months ago. I would love to have another but can't pay for a dog when so many need homes. It's my own thing. He was a gentle giant.

My advice to people who get specific breed is to research carefully the breed and what they instinctual enjoy or need. If they are a herding dog then stimulate his nature with herding play, etc. I don't think there is anything wrong with a dog protecting his family IF the dog owner takes the proper steps to train and protect the public from their pet.

Michael Vick WAS punished & served his time, WTF more does he have to do, go through to make y'all see that. What would satisfy you Sachita? A public punishment? Him living on the streets? Working @ a Waffle House? Don't you see that shit enough??

That is just as GROSS wanting this man to PAY more than he already has. I'm no fan but damn could it be he knows he did wrong?

No one is asking him to pay any more. I'm just saying that I can't forgive him. The fact that he went to prison and paid a fine for what he did does not make it go away and I'm sorry but I won't, can't and don't think Obama should have been involved.

Look you have your opinion and I have mine. I'm sticking with mine. If it were up to me, and its not, I would have taken illegal measures against him. Animal abuse, for me, ranks as high as child abuse, in my book. A violent act against innocence. If I could legally punish him and not go to jail then you bet your ass I would. oh yeah.

So its cool. Thats your opinion- gross, like it or not. I'm firm on this.

Michael Vick WAS punished by the system this country has set up, and yes you amongst others would have him pay in other forms, the lynch mob mentality I've come across on this thread is just as gross if not even more considering his time was served. I'm at work so I will come back later and point out where Vick's time served has not been punishment enough. It's even MORE gross considering the Favre, Sheen, Gibson, Rothlesberger pig pen going on. No one calls for their heads or lives, then again they're WHITE misunderstood men.